Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
Pivot Concepts:   Target Concepts:
Query: UMLS:C0012833 (dizziness)
 9,689 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

Lorazepam (Ativan), is a benzodiazepine frequently used to manage anxiety, presurgically, and as a sedative. Common side effects include sedation, dizziness, weakness, unsteadiness, and disorientation. Consequently, lorazepam can have a significant effect on driving ability. We reviewed all positive lorazepam drug-impaired driving cases submitted to the Washington State Toxicology Laboratory between January 1998 and December 2003. The mean concentration found in the blood of these drivers (n = 170) was 0.048 mg/L (std. dev. = 0.06, median = 0.03). Concentrations ranged from < 0.005 to 0.39 mg/L. Eighty-six percent of these drivers tested positive for other drugs in addition to lorazepam that may have contributed to their impairment. There were 23 cases in which lorazepam was the only drug detected. The mean concentration found in the blood of these drivers was 0.051 mg/L (median = 0.03, range < 0.01-0.38). This population was 56% male, with a mean age of 39.5 years, (range 16-72). We obtained Drug Recognition Expert reports containing details of events surrounding arrest and performance on field sobriety tests for 10 of the remaining cases in which no drugs other than lorazepam were present. Lorazepam concentrations in these cases averaged 0.050 mg/L (median = 0.04, range 0.01-0.13 mg/L). This review of these subjects indicates that lorazepam is capable of causing significant impairment to driving and psychomotor abilities, independent of the concentration detected.
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PMID:Lorazepam and driving impairment. 1551 98

Gabapentin (Neurontin) is an antiepileptic drug commonly prescribed for pain treatment. In the past 15 years, indications for gabapentin have been increasing even though the complete mechanism of action is unknown. Side effects include somnolence, dizziness, ataxia, nystagmus, and fatigue. This study reviewed all cases positive for gabapentin submitted to the Washington State Toxicology Laboratory between January 2003 and December 2007. The concentrations of gabapentin in blood from impaired driving cases (n = 137) ranged from < 2.0 to 24.7 mg/L with a mean of 8.4 +/- 5.4 mg/L and a median of 7.0 mg/L. The driving population was 50% male with a mean age of 43.0 +/- 10.9 years (range 23-73). Of the cases studied, only 7% were positive for gabapentin alone with the remaining 93% indicative of polydrug use. Drug Recognition Expert reports from four cases in which the only drug detected likely to be causing impairment was gabapentin were examined. These reports demonstrated that subjects may exhibit psychophysical indicators of a central nervous system depressant (e.g., horizontal gaze nystagmus, poor performance on standardized field sobriety tests) with clinical indicators (e.g., dilated pupils, low body temperature, and elevated pulse and blood pressure) that are not consistent with a depressant.
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PMID:Prevalence of gabapentin in impaired driving cases in Washington State in 2003-2007. 1987 66